A 22-year-old man identified as a member of Antifa was arrested in Pinellas County, Florida, after he was caught with an explosive device near the location of a protest at the Pinellas County courthouse.   Something spooked the suspect who was caught running from the scene according to the sheriff’s office.

The local media is trying to avoid noting that Garrett James Smith previously travelled to Portland, Oregon, for training on how to function as what authorities describe as a “sleeper cell.”

Unfortunately, the media reports show “federal agents” quickly responded to the arrest and took over the investigation.  We all know what that means.

TAMPA –  Garrett James Smith was arrested on charges of making and possessing a destructive device and loitering. He remains in jail on a bond of $300,000.  Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Smith was seen running away from a political assembly supporting an arrested Oath Keeper on the evening of Jan. 6, 2022.

[…]  Smith did not detonate or place the explosive device he made. Gualtieri said Smith has not been cooperating and the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t know why he abandoned his plan or what his political beliefs are.  “Smith is what we call a sleeper, and these are the most concerning individuals because there are no opportunities to intervene and thwart their criminal activity before they actually act,” Gualtieri said.

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The people behind Joe Biden rushed him to the microphones today to proclaim the success of his economic policy.   Biden read from their prepared script for almost fifteen minutes [VIDEO HERE], then told the assembled press pool that “COVID was here to stay”, but not really “here to stay”, but his policies, rules and regulations that are driven by COVID are “here to stay.”

Did anyone else catch that?

Whiskey – Tango – Foxtrot… he said the quiet part out loud.

In essence, what Biden was saying was that even when the virus is no longer being a daily driver of government policy, the policies themselves will never go away.  Just like the Patriot Act, under the guise of anti-terrorism created the permanent security state, so too is COVID-19 creating the permanent government control state under the guise of public health.

As if that isn’t alarming enough, what the White House occupant outlined regarding the economy just has to be watched or read [Transcript Here] to be believed.  The most eye-opening part of his comments is that he really believes this stuff they tell him to say. So, obviously the people typing the words into the teleprompter either: (a) believe it themselves; or (b) more likely, know what they are doing is going to end up with the total collapse of the U.S. economic system, and that’s okay because the guy reading it is disposable for their plan.  I believe the latter is accurate.

Take a look at one metaphor Biden read from his teleprompter to see exactly how insane these policies are when said out loud.  Keep in mind, this is a direct quote from the transcript as he read it (emphasis mine):

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Many people have wondered how the Biden administration could implement massive economic policies against the interests of their own constituents.  The answer to that question is hidden inside the COVID relief bills, which are used as a method to pay the expenses of his policies so that targeted Democrat groups in urban regions do not have to pay for the policy.

One example of this policy and urban dependency scheme is found in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The “American Rescue Plan”, the mechanism to use taxpayer monies as redistributive subsidies to special interests under the guise of COVID bailouts and relief, contained $8 billion in funding to pay for the electricity and home heating costs of low income families.

WHITE HOUSE – […] In 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats delivered $8 billion in LIHEAP funding nationally, more than doubling typical annual appropriations, thanks to an additional $4.5 billion provided by the American Rescue Plan. These funds represent the largest appropriation in a single year since the program was established in 1981. (more)

In essence, what this scheme allows is the Biden administration to trigger ‘Green New Deal‘ energy policies that drive massive increases in the cost of electricity, home heating, and energy use for the middle class and working class families, and yet the federal government pays those costs for the constituents they need to keep voting for them.  Lower income families do not feel the energy policy burden, but middle class families are punished.

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One would think a United States Supreme Court hearing containing emergency oral arguments about a federal mandate that impacts more than 100 million Americans in the workforce would mean the justices would be well prepared and full briefed with the latest information.

Alas, in an embarrassing display of judicial outlooks, activism and incompetence, the leftists on the court appeared to just be making stuff up in order to protect the current White House occupant.

Justice Bryer cited 750 million Americans infected yesterday as his reference point to justify his support for Joe Biden.  Unfortunately for justice Bryer there are only 350 million Americans alive.  It would be an ordinarily embarrassing mistake if the issues were not so serious.  However, given the nature of the constitutional issue here, these types of statements only reflect the abject nonsensical nature of a highly politicized supreme court.

Taking Bryer’s ball of insanity across the finish line, Justice Sotomayor, another leftist communist in a black robe, stated: “100,000 kids are currently in the hospital”, FALSE; that the “Omicron variant has been more deadly than Delta,” FALSE; COVID deaths are at an “all time high”, FALSE; and worse yet, “OSHA’s regulatory authority is part of the federal police power,” again FALSE.

Additionally, as to the aspect of the argument surrounding Monday’s federal deadline of mask enforcement for all unvaccinated workers, all of the leftist communists on the court held firm in their belief that masks stop the virus, false.  This issue has even been conceded by officials in the same administration now tasked with enforcing a mask mandate they admit is not based in science.

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Here’s audio of the oral arguments from the Supreme Court hearing January 7, 2022.

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I do not know how better to emphasize the points other than to be direct and brutally honest.  Sometimes you just have to call the baby ugly.  The window to prepare for the incoming crisis of our lifetime is now down to two weeks.  Hopefully, that is specific enough.

As we have discussed on these pages, the interventionist policies and regulations from the people creating the COVID response (writ large) have been fubar from the beginning. {Go Deep} When they shut down the restaurants and hospitality sector (2020 lockdowns), the advisors and bureaucrats triggered a cascading series of events inside the food supply chain {Go Deep}.

Every policy implementation since then has made matters worse {Go Deep}

Adding to the supply chain and inflation crisis, in about a week the vaccine mandate and subsequent commercial passport means 30,000 cross border truckers are about to get shut down from operating between the United States and Canada.

“70% of the 700 billion in trade between Canada and the US is moved by truck. This will have a dramatic effect on supplies and services reaching their destination and getting in the hands of those who need them. One needs to look no further than the recent UK fuel shortage, where the military had to be brought in to deliver fuel as a result of a lack of truck drivers. We are already seeing shortages, if these shortages reach critical levels on items such as fuel, food, blood, medicine or medical supplies, we will see real long-lasting damage.”

~ Mike Milliam, President of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada

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The pundits are just not getting it.  It’s the inflation, stupid.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released the December jobs report today [DATA HERE] showing 199,000 job gains in December, approximately half of what was expected.  Most financial pundits are perplexed as the employment rate drops to 3.9%, because many people have dropped out of the labor force.  The labor participation rate remains unchanged at 61.9%.

Keep in mind, the November jobs report showed a decline in retail jobs of 29,000, and this report shows that despite November & December being the largest shopping months for holidays, the retail sector jobs were nonexistent.

The issue is what we have discussed here for months, inflation.

The job quits and JOLT turnover reports from last week showed massive numbers of employees quitting their jobs.  In part this is pressure from the vaccine mandate (more on that later).  However, in the majority what we are seeing is employment decisions based on inflation hitting the labor market.

Additionally, the current BLS report does not have the Omicron “winter of death” employment impact within it.  That impact will come in the January report, and it will not be good.  But let’s get down to reconciling December jobs data with reality on the ground.

Inflation is chewing up income amid the workforce.  This is not debatable, and this is reflected in every opinion poll and economic statistic that has surfaced for the past six months.   The BLS report somewhat surprised people in the 0.6% wage gains, and average wage increases are now 4.7% year over year.  That should be a good thing.  However, inflation at 20 to 50+% on energy, fuel, gasoline and food means a 4.7% growth in wages is a pittance.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the JoeBama Administration and Presidency.

“This is no small thing, to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may be that our task is impossible. Yet, if we do not try then how will we know it can’t be done? And if we do not try, it most certainly won’t be done. The Founders’ Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, will be lost.”

“But I tell you this: We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.”

~ Mike Vanderboegh

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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The Texas Senator who has been morphing into a wolf like caricature, left himself naked to his enemies yesterday by his own choosing.   After proclaiming the J6 protestors were “violent terrorists”, the articulating stutterer must have realized he stood on a political landmine.

Ted Cruz quickly appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson in an attempt to regain credibility.  It’s interesting that Cruz chose the Tucker Carlson show for the effort, and it’s interesting that Carlson gave him the opportunity.  However, the result was predictable.  You cannot create authenticity where only inauthenticity exists.  If you try, what you end up with is a hole digger that keeps digging.  WATCH:

…”The more he spoke of his honor the faster we counted the spoons.”

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